The backlash against equal marriage rights in Canada is in full swing, but the odds are still in favor of full civil rights for gay citizens. The Parliamentary vote was extremely close, suggesting the deep divisions that this subject sill arouses. But it’s worth considering a little historical perspective. The vote this time was 137 – 132 against a motion restricting civil marriage to heterosexuals. Four years ago, a similar motion passed on a vote of 216 – 55. In other words, in four years, pro-gay-marriage forces have gained 82 votes, while anti-gay-marriage forces have lost 84. Polls show the under 30s supporting equal rights for gays at around the 70 percent mark. The task of the social right now – here as in Canada – is to freeze this social change before it becomes irreversible. Meanwhile, Canadian dictionaries are changing the definition of marriage. The change is already here.
DO LUCKY DUCKIES QUACK? One of the more irritating of rhetorical devices by some on the partisan-left (Tim Noah, Paul Krugman, et al.) has been their invocation of the Wall Street Journal editorial that worried about the consequences of taxes only being paid by a section of the population. With his typical sleight of hand, Noah interpreted this to mean that conservatives wanted to raise taxes on the poor. He’s been giggling ever since. He’s full of it, of course. Jacob Levy patiently explains why.
The Dish 